S is for sizzling: Mercedes-AMG announces S 65 Cabriolet

Mercedes-AMG has unveiled a new flagship S-Class. The S 65 Cabriolet is a soft-top sibling of the S65 AMG Coupe. With it, the carmaker is seeking to create something that provides both high-performance excitement and comfortable, roof-down joie de vivre.

One glance at the specs-sheet of the S 65 Cabriolet is all you'll need to see that Mercedes is taking its aim very seriously. There's a hand-assembled 6‑l (1.3-gal) V12 biturbo engine under the bonnet that kicks out 463 kW (630 hp) and 1,000 Nm (738 ft-lb) of maximum torque.

That all adds up to a 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 62 mph) speed of 4.1 seconds and an electronically-limited top speed of to 250 km/h (155 mph). Indeed, the optional AMG Driver's package will see the top speed increased to a still-electronically-limited 300 km/h (186 mph). Fortunately, there's a ceramic composite braking system to keep a lid on things.

Drivers can choose between comfort, sporty and stiff suspension setups. The Cabriolet also has AMG SpeedShift Plus 7G-Tronic transmission, which has Controlled Efficiency, Sport and Manual settings. Mercedes says it is "significantly more economical than all of its rivals," although, in absolute terms, fuel consumption of 12 l/100 km (20 mpg) is nothing special.

Opening and closing the roof of the Cabriolet takes around 17 seconds, and can be done when the car is in motion at speeds of up to 50 km/h (31 mph). When the roof is closed, Mercedes says the car is designed to mimic the shape of a coupé and, indeed, says it has the same torsional rigidity level as a coupé. Chrome design elements feature heavily, including the Mercedes star, the "twin blade" radiator grille and all of the air intake grilles.

Inside, there are nappa leather sport seats with electric adjustment, memory and climatization functionalities. Fully automatic climate control is aimed at keeping occupants comfortable regardless of whether the roof is up or down, making use of the AIRCAP wind deflection system and the AIRSCARF neck-level heating system.

For the driver, information on the engine speed, vehicle speed and suchlike is displayed on two animated round dials on the 31.2-cm (12.3-in), high-resolution color display. There's also a head-up display, which shows info like speed, speed limits, navigation directions and traffic signs. A touchpad is intended to ensure simple operation of the infotainment system.

As you'd expect, the S 65 Cabriolet comes with a variety of driver experience and safety tech. Among them, PRE-SAFE Brake with pedestrian detection is able to recognize when collisions are likely and prepare the car accordingly, for example, by tightening the front seatbelts and adjusting the headrests. DISTRONIC PLUS with Steering Assist and Stop&Go Pilot will keep the car a safe distance from the vehicle in front and in the center of its lane, while BAS PLUS with Cross-Traffic Assist can both detect potential collisions and apply appropriate braking if required.

The Mercedes-AMG S 65 Cabriolet will be available to order from April 2016, and will be in showrooms from May 2016. Pricing has yet to be announced.